The present invention relates generally to the field of fluid containers and dispensers, and in particular to a flow controller for a container suitable for motor oils and the like.
During the course of periodic maintenance of most motor vehicles, virtually all vehicle operators find themselves required to add motor oil from time to time. Most motor oils for consumer use are now packaged and sold in quart size molded plastic containers having extended neck portions and corresponding molded plastic caps. The caps are typically removable by a threaded mount. While the advent and proliferation of such molded plastic containers has, to some extent, reduced the mess associated with the addition of oil to the vehicle, it often remains a messy and inconvenient task. See generally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,845 to Blanchard.
Most motor vehicle engine configurations do little to improve the ease of adding motor oil by the consumer. Many engines are designed to require adding oil through apertures that are near the center of the engine and therefore at an extended distance from the vehicle perimeter. This frequently leads to some oil spillage as the container is inverted to dispense the oil. In the past, vehicle operators have attempted to address these problems by using a variety of devices such as funnels. Unfortunately, the use and storage of such devices is often as messy as the direct introduction of motor oil without their use.
Thus there is a need and a desire to provide a fluid dispensing system that can be inverted and control fluid flow in a manner to eliminate or minimize spilling while maximizing flow once the dispenser is in place. In the case of motor oil, such a device would need to avoid spilling oil onto the vehicle engine or associated components within the restricted access of the typical engine compartment.
Attempts to meet this need are known in the art. Some provide various types of extendable spouts on the oil container or spout extensions, which are provided as an xe2x80x9cadd-onxe2x80x9d or premium item. Other attempts add messy, expensive, complicated, or impractical devices to oil containers and other types of fluid containers. See generally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,578 to Burt; U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,042 to Huffman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,136 to Rubendall; U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,451 to Hess, III et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,929 to Burdick. These attempts have, to date, met with very limited success and a solution remains evasive. The problem is further exacerbated by the extreme economic pressure upon the manufacturers of motor oil products. Oil and its processing are expensive and because competition in the marketplace is extremely price sensitive, motor oil manufacturers must seek to minimize the costs associated with bottling and packaging their oil products.
Thus, very little additional money is available within the product price to justify complex or expensive bottling concepts for the sake of user convenience. As a result, there remains a need in the art for a low cost and effective container for facilitating the ease and cleanliness of adding motor oil to the typical motor vehicle.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides a flow controller for a container suitable for dispensing motor oils and the like. More specifically, the present invention facilitates the easy and clean addition of oil to a typical motor vehicle.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided for use in combination with a fluid container having a seal, a flow controller including a shipping pin, and a cylindrical slide member guide attached to a neck of the container. The slide member guide includes a first peripheral flange attached to an outer surface of the slide member guide and a slide member is slidably and rotatably carried within the slide member guide. The slide member includes an outer end that is configured to receive a removable cap and includes a second peripheral flange on an outer surface of the slide member. The second peripheral flange is positioned to provide an annular space for insertion of the shipping pin between the first and second peripheral flanges and to prevent the inner edge of the slide member from contacting the seal.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes a device for controlling the flow of fluid from a container, including a shipping pin and a container having an interior reservoir, a neck and a slide member guide. The neck includes a seal and the slide member guide includes a first peripheral flange on an outer surface of the slide member guide. A slide member has an inner end, and an outer end is slidably received within the slide member and the inner end has an open inner edge. The slide member includes an outer end that receives a removable cap and a second peripheral flange on an outer surface of the slide member. The first and second peripheral flanges are positioned to provide an annular space for insertion of the shipping pin between the first and second peripheral flanges and to prevent the inner edge of the slide member from contacting the seal.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.